After 36 years of civil war, new dynamics of violence have emerged in Guatemala which seriously threaten the country’s socio-political stability and affect human development and the achievement of the MDGs. Since 1999, the country’s murder rate has increased by 12% annually, and this has made it difficult for Guatemala to fulfil the Peace Agreements.

The Joint Programme's aim was to consolidate peace by strengthening legal frameworks, public policies and initiatives in the field of prevention of conflict and violence, as well as the capacities of State institutions and civil society. It focused particularly on the institutionalisation of the commitments set out in the Peace Agreements which were still pending.

Its objectives were:

Establishing a national early warning system and implementing local and national initiatives for the prevention of conflict and violence;

Providing training for public officials responsible for the relevant policies; and

Improving the quality of information presented by the media to help improve civil society’s perception of the problem.

Main achievements included:

An Integrated National Security Policy was formulated and agreed with civil society participation.

The National Permanent Dialogue System was strengthened by developing technical tools that improve the ability to manage and identify conflicts and improve institutional coordination.

Three pilot municipalities for ¨Safe Cities¨ (Coban, Chiquimula and Santa Lucia Cotzumalguapa) were developed and established a violence prevention strategy. Public spaces were recovered, human development centers for young people were established, service to victims of violence was improved, and a communication campaign and advocacy on peace culture was launched.

A strategy to prevent violence and promote citizenship within the public school system was put in place in 13 priority educational districts.

Click for more detailed results from the Joint Programmes in Guatemala (in Spanish).